Former Iowa Student Charged with Choking Iowa City Police Officer Reaches Plea Deal

A former University of Iowa student accused of choking an arresting officer last year pleaded guilty to a lesser charge this morning in a Johnson County courtroom.

Vanessa Miller of the Gazette reports that this morning Branden Plummer, 21, pleaded guilty to a charge of willful injury, a Class D Felony, as well as police obstruction, a misdemeanor.

As part of the plea agreement, Branden L. Plummer will receive a suspended prison sentence of up to five years. If he violates the conditions of his probation, he could be sentenced to a correctional facility. He also was given a 60-day jail sentence, with the ability to leave for work or school. He was given credit for the 30 days he’s already served in the Johnson County Jail, meaning he has another month behind bars.

Plummer originally hails from Urbandale and was a University of Iowa student at the time of the incident when he allegedly choked Iowa City police Sgt. Brian Krei until the officer lost consciousness in the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 2011.

For the crime, Plummer was originally charged with attempted murder, a class B felony, which carries up to a 25 year prison sentence; later, a charge of willful injury, was added to the list of charges, and this later charge was what Plummer entered a guilty plea on.

Plummer, who attended Valley High School in West Des Moines, was a University of Iowa student at the time of his arrest. He is no longer listed as a student in the school's directory.

Chilling police video captured the Nov. 18 incident, including a woman begging Plummer to let Krei go.

Plummer eventually ran from the scene, and wasn't identified until Nov. 30 based on a CrimeStoppers tip.